US drops out of world’s most powerful passport top 10 list for the first time
The U.S. passport now ties with Malaysia at 12th place with visa-free access to 180 countries, reflecting a shift in global mobility and soft power dynamics.
- The US passport has dropped out of the top 10 most powerful passports for the first time in 20 years, according to the Henley Passport Index.
- Asian passports now occupy the top spots, with Singapore having visa-free access to 193 destinations worldwide, followed by South Korea and Japan.
- The US drop came after losing visa-free access to Brazil in April due to a lack of reciprocity, while China has been gaining more visa-free access.
117 Articles
117 Articles
These Are the Most Powerful Passports in the World Right Now—and Why the U.S. Just Dropped in Ranking
A new report found that Singapore, South Korea, and Japan lead global mobility as the U.S. slips to 12th.Bet_Noire/Getty Images An assortment of passports from all over the world.Passports from the United States have fallen to historic lows following an updated ranking of the world's most powerful passports.U.S. passports fell below the top 10 of the world’s most powerful passports for the first time, according to the latest Henley Passport Inde…
Asia is crowned as the leader of the passport ranking of the British firm Henley & Partners. This 2025, the top three belongs to it.
The U.S. withdrawal of identity now pushes the country out of the tops of the Henley passport ranking.
U.S. Passport Strength Ties With Malaysia as It Falls Out of Top 10
The U.S. passport is less powerful in 2025 than it was last year, says an annual passport ranking report. The Henley Passport Index, which tabulates data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), ranked the U.S. passport in 12th place for 2025 for affording its holders visa-free travel to 180 of 227 countries. The ranking assigns places to multiple countries, meaning there are actually 36 countries on the list with passports that…
US Passport Falls From Top 10 for the First Time
For as long as I’ve been writing about travel — and for more than a decade before that — the U.S. passport has been a golden ticket, reliably ranked among the 10 most powerful in the world. This year, for the first time, it slipped. According to the Henley Passport Index — “the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa” — the U.S. now sits in…
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